Port officials talk up new marketing campaign

It's the off-season for cruising at Port Everglades with only a handful of ships in-house on weekends, compared to as many as eight during peak season November through April.

Port officials are using the down time to promote a new marketing, advertising and sales plan aimed at boosting cruise and cargo traffic in coming years.

Currently, Port Everglades is the third-busiest cruise port in the world. In the 2012 financial year 838 cruises carrying 3.69 million multi-day passengers made calls at the Fort Lauderdale port, which trails PortMiami and Port Canaveral, which had 3.77 million and 3.76 million multi-day cruisers respectively in the same period.

While the cruise numbers for the three facilities are close, Fort Lauderdale port officials say local cruise traffic is expected to increase gradually, reaching 5 million passengers by 2030.

The new campaign, recent and upcoming infrastructure enhancements and cruising's overall untapped potential in North America and worldwide, are all factors expected to contribute to the future traffic increase.

Key officials including Chief Executive and Port Director Steven Cernak and Director of Business Development Michael Vanderbeek sat down Thursday with The Sun Sentinel to talk about the campaign, cruise business initiatives and key developments on tap for 2014.

Interview responses were edited for brevity and clarity.

The new marketing campaign was unveiled in April, what's it focus?

Vanderbeek: "The Power of…" campaign touts the strengths of the port's cargo and cruise facilities and includes a new tagline for the port — South Florida's Powerhouse Port, which reflects the size of its economic impact. The campaign's ads feature eye-catching images coming out of the water such as a ship, train and horse. The water theme is refreshing and has a dynamic look. We've also freshened up the port's logo.

What are some highlights of the new cruise ad?

Vanderbeek: The ad's slogan is: "The Power of a Premier Cruise Port," and there's an image of a ship with a sun above it, which is a direct attempt to tie in the destination of Greater Fort Lauderdale and its popular "Hello Sunny" campaign, to the experience of cruising. The sun is also prominent in the Broward County logo. The ad touts the port's modern and efficient cruise terminals and proximity to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as among its key assets.

Where do you see the potential to grow cruise business?

Cernak: When you look at the cruise market, there's obvious potential for growth, as fewer than 10 percent of North Americans have taken a cruise, and cruise lines are aware of this untapped potential and continue to explore ways to harness it. South America is a target market and a natural fit for us given the cultural ties here, but we see future potential in Asia. There's always the potential for cruise operators to bring new ships or introduce other brands to Port Everglades. It would be neat to see one of the boutique cruise brands here such as Windstar Cruises. As such, we continually have to improve our facilities if we want to grow, as cruise passengers today are becoming more discriminating and expect certain amenities. We recently completed a $54 million renovation of four cruise terminals, but other facilities need attention too such as Terminal 4.

Vanderbeek: As a port we have certain dynamics on our side, such as terminal 18, the world's largest single-ship terminal, which is home to the 5,400-passenger Oasis and Allure of the Seas ships. Large and modern cruise facilities that can simultaneously process arriving and departing cruisers and provide a seamless experience for cruisers are a benefit to cruise lines looking to grow in this area. The Caribbean, which is a popular cruising ground for cruise ships sailing from Port Everglades, is the strongest cruise market in the world, and it's still popular and growing. Cruise lines are not abandoning it, and so we see growth opportunities here particularly for midweek and shorter cruises.

How do you spread the word about Port Everglades and its assets?

Vanderbeek: Besides advertising and trade mission trips, we partner with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to promote cruising as part of the destination experience. This week, we also have a representative in Vancouver for the Cruise Lines International Association's Cruise3Sixty conference, which ends today .

What upgrades are planned for Terminal 4?

Cernak: We're planning to lengthen the berth to accommodate larger ships and modernize the cruise terminal to create a better experience for cruise passengers. Terminal upgrades will include the ability to process arriving and departing passengers simultaneously, covered walkways, streamlined transportation routing and new lighting and air conditioning. This project is expected to cost about $13.4 million.

Are there any new cruise developments on the horizon?

Vanderbeek: Princess Cruises' newest ship, the 3,600-passenger Royal Princess, which launched in Europe this month, is set to sail from Port Everglades on its Caribbean maiden voyage Oct. 29. In summer 2014 we'll have two more cruise ships in port during the season, bringing the total to five ships, which will be huge for us and a great boon to the area. The Caribbean Princess will sail a series of Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale May through September, while Royal Caribbean International's Vision of the Seas will offer four- and five-night Caribbean itineraries.

Regal Princess, which debuts in June 2014, will join Royal Princess at Port Everglades later that year for the winter season.